Wringer mechanism



2 Sheets-Sge; l

H. W. MITCHELL WRINGER MECHANISM Filed April 2, 1925 V /Ul March 13, 1928.

OO N

March 13, 1928.

H. W. MITCHELL WRINGER MECHANISM Filed April 2, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

uiu'rianfsra'rlazsy PAT-Eur oFFicE.

HARRY W. MITCHELL, CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO G. F. MITCHELL & SON, A. -PARTNERSHIP F GEORGE F. MITCHELL, GEORGE R. MITCHELL, AND HARRY W.

MITCHELL, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

warmem;l MECHANISM.

Application filed April 2, 1923. Serial No. 629,276.

This invention relates to wringer mecha-- nism and more particularly to wringer attachments employed in connection with power driven washing machines designed for household use.

An object of the invention is to provide a wringer mechanism carried by a rotatable standard on the supporting frame work in which the drive control and the locking means for holding the standard against rotation are so interloclied that the wringer cannot be operated unless the standard is locked against rotation withrespect to the frame.

A further object is to provide an, interlock between the drive control member and Y standard locking means which will not only cause the standard to belocked to the support before the wringeris started,'but will vizo'also permit the wringer to be stopped or upper end of the socket 3 which is adapted reversed without unlocking the standard.

A further object is to provide a wringer supporting standard lcarrying shafts `)and gears through which the wringer is driven and rotatably supported in the frame of the machine in such a. manner that it is readily removable from the supporting frame.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description and annexed drawings.

The following description and annexed drawings set forth in detail certain means embodying the invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of the various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

Reference should be had to the aecompanying drawings forming a part of this specification inn'hich Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the wringer supporting standard with a part broken away to show the wringer driving mechanism; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the socketmember carried by the supporting frame in which the wringer supporting standard is mounted; Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations of the clutch and' lock actuating member` showing the same in different positions; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the actuating member shown in Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. '6 is a top plan view of the wringer, a. portion being broken away to y show the vertical guideway for the bearings of the upper roller; Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the wringer with a port-ion broken away to show the releasable tension ap lying device; Fig. 8 is a top plan view and ig. 9

is a s'ide elevation of the pivoted block which which is rigidly secured to theframe l has a cylindrical socket 3 to receive the lower end of the wringer supporting standard and a supporting flange 5 surrounding the to be engaged by a laterally projecting base portion of the standard and is provided with a series of holes or sockets 5 adapted to receive a locking pin carried by the standard for locking the standard in various positions of angular adjustment. The wringer supporting standard 6 has a cylindrical lower end portion 7 which tits within the cylindrical socket 3 and a laterally projecting iiange 8 above the cylindrical portion 7 which rests upon the laterally projecting ange 4 of the socket member.k The standard 6 is hollow and has a somewhat enlarged upper end portion 9 forming a gear housing. A vertical shaft section 10 is secured within the standard 6 axially thereof -and is journaled in bearing portions 1l and 12 adjacent the top and below the housing portion 9 of the standard. The shaft l0 is provided with a peripheral groove 13 which lies within the bearing portion 12 of thestandard and is e11- vgaged bythe unthreaded end of a set screw 14 carried by the standard. A`shaft sect-ion l5 is carried by the supporting frame in alignment with the shaft section 10 of the standard and has its upper end projecting into the bottom of the standard supporting socket. A suitable slip connection is provided between the sha-ft- .sections' 10 and 15 whereby the shaft sections 10 and 15 are held in driving engagement when the standard is in place, but permitting the shaft section 10 to be removed with the standard. As shown herein, the shaft section 10 is provided with a notch 16 which receives the tongue 17 upon the upper end of the shaft 15. The notch 16 extends diametrically across the end of the shaft 10 and the lower ends of the forks 16 on opposite sides of the notch 16 are cut on inclines extending inwardly and upwardly to the notch 16 whereby both forks taper to a point and will engage with the tongue 1,7 as the shaft 10 is lowered into engagement therewith and turn the shaft 10 until the notch 16 is aligned with the tongue 17. The cylindrical lower end portion 7 of the standard is provided with a peripheral groove 18 which is engaged by the unthreaded end of a set screw 19 carried by the wall of the socket 3. When the standard 6 is in place in the socket 3, the set screw 19 engages in the groove 18. The standard 6 is ro tatable in the socket but is held against removal therefrom. When the set screw 19 is removed, the wringer supporting standard 6, together with the shaft section 10 can be bodily removed from the socket.

Rigidly attached to the upper end of the standard 6 is a laterally projecting wringer supporting arm 2O in which is mounted a horizontal shaft 21 which is detachably connected at one end to the shaft 22 of the lower wringer roller and at its opposite end projects into the gear housing 9 at the upper end of the standardv 6. The shaft 21 has a bevel gear 23 fixed thereto within the housing 9. A bevel gear 24 is fixed to a sleeve 25 rotatably supported on the shaft 10 above the gear 23. A second bevel gear 26 is fixed to a sleeve 27 which is rotatably supported on the shaft 10 below the bevel gear 23. The bevel gears 24 and 26 mesh with the bevel gear 23 and serve to drive the shaft 21 and through the shaft 21 the wringer mechanism in opposite directions. The sleeves 25 .and 27 are provided with clutch teeth at their inner ends and are adapted to be alternatal?r engaged by the op site faces of a doub e clutch member 28 w ich is splined to the shaft 10 between the sleeves 25 and 27. The clutch member 28 is adapted to be held in an intermediate or neutral position out of engagement with both sleeves and to be moved from this neutral position into engagement with either sleeve so that the wringer mechanism can be driven in either direction from the drive shaft 10.

For shifting the clutch member 28 a rotatable actuating member 29 is journaled in the wall Aof the housing9 at one side of the clutch member 28. The actuating member 29 has an inner flange 30 which bears against the inner shoulder of the bearing boss in which the member 29 is mounted and carries an eccentrically positioned pin 31 on its inner end carrying a bearing block 31 which engages in a peripheral groove in the clutch member 28. A handle member 32 is rigidly attached to the outer end of the actuating member 29 and is provided with an enlarged shoulder 33 which bears against the outer edge of the boss in which the actuating meniber 29 is journaled and cooperates with the flange 30 to hold the actuating member :'29 against longitudinal movement. The cylin drical portion of the actuating member 29 between the shoulders 30 and 33 is provided with four shallow tapered pin receiving recesses 34, 35, 36 and 37 spaced 90 apart as shown in Fig. 5. The recesses 35, 36 and 37 are located upon the cylindrical surface of the actuating member while the recess 34 is positioned in the bottom of a groove 38 so that it is considerably closer to the axis of the actuating member. A vertically disposed locking pin 39 is mounted in a barrel 40 formed integrally with the standard 6 and extending fromthe bearing in which the member 29 is rotatably mounted to the base ange 8. The lower portion 41 of the barrel 40 is enlarged and is provided at its lower end with a bushing 42 which receives the lower end of the locking pin 39. The locking pin 39 has a flange 43 within the upper portion of the enlarged portion 41 of the barrel and a coil spring 44 is interposed hetween the bushing 42 and the flange 43 and serves to press the locking pin 39 into engagement with the actuating member 29.

The locking pin 39 serves when in engagement with any one of the four recesses in the actuating member 29 to releasably hold the actuating member against rotative movement. The recesses 34 and 36 are so dis posed that when the locking pin 39 is in engagement with either of them, the clutch member 28 is held in intermediate or neutral position. When the locking pin is in engagement with the recess 35 or 37, the clutch member 28 is in engagement with the gear 24 or 26 and the wringer is driven in a forward or in a reverse direction. The locking pin 39 is of such length that when it is in engagement with the recess 34 in the flattened portion of the actuating member formed by the groove 38, its lower end will just clear the flange 44 of the supporting socket and the standard is free to be turned in the socket. Whenever the actuating member 29 is turned by means of the handle 32 in either direction, the pin 39 will be forced downwardly into engagement with one of the sockets 5 in the flange 4, locking the standard against turning movement in the socket 3. If the pin 39 is not in registry with one of the sockets 5, the handle 32 cannot be turned but the standard can be turned slowly by means of the handle 32 until the pin llO lll

engages with the proper socket in the base permitting the clutch member 28 to be shiftedin the desired direction. After the actuating member 29 has beenshifted until either the recess 35 or 37 is engaged by the pin 39, the wringer will be driven in the desired direction from the shaft 10. If after the wringer has been started, it is desired to stop the wringer rollers, without unlocking the standard, the handle 32 will be operated to turn the actuating member 29 in a direction to bring the recess 36 into engagement with the locking pin` 39. lVhen the recess 36 is in engagement with the locking pin 39 the clutch member 2,8 is in neutral position in which the wringer is stopped and the locking pin 39 is still held in engagement with the support and holds the standard against turning movement in the socket. From this second neutral position the handle 32 may be turned in either direction to start the wringer in either direction and the control of the wringer mechanism does not affect the standard locking means.

The frame which supports the wringer roll is attached to the outer end of the supporting arm 2O and comprises an upper cross-bar 45 in the form of an inverted channel and vertical guide legs 46 and 47 at opposite ends of the frame, the legs 46 and 47 being connected adjacent their lower ends by cross members 48 between which the lower roller of the ,wringer is located and which serve as guide ledges for directing the articles to and from the bight of the rollers. 'The lower roller 49Yis journaled in fixed bearings 50 carried by the legs 46 and '47 and the upper roller 51 ismounted in bearings 52 which are slidable in guides formed in the legs 46 and 47. The upper roller is driven from the lower roller by means of a gear 53 on the shaft 22 and a gear 54 meshing therewith and carried by the shaft at the upper roller. The upper roller 51 is held in yielding engagement with the lower roller 49 by means of an arched spring pressure bar 55 the ends of which engage the slidable bearings.

s' Suitable means is provided for applying pressure to the central portion of the pressure bar 55 and it is desirable that the pressure applying means be instantly releasable to permit upward movementrof the slidable roll 51. The cross bar 45 is provided with an opening 56 in the central portion thereof and in this opening are located a pair of parallel transverse pivot pins 57 and 58 ,carried by the channel cross bar 45. Pivoted on the transverse pin 57 is a set screw carrying block 59 which has a flattop 60 which when the block is in operative position, lies flush with the top of the crossbar 45 and has a threadedv aperture 6l therethrough substantially at right angles to the top surface 6() thereof. A. set screw 62 is in threaded engagement with the threaded aperture 61 and is adapted to bear against the central port-ion of the pressure bar 55. The setfscrew block 59 tapers from its piv oted end so that its free end is enlarged and has an\ extension 63 projecting from the lower portion thereof beyond the set screw and extending beneath the pivot pin 58. The extension 63 has a shank portion 64 which is of the same width as the block 59 and at its outer end has a widened portion forming a lateral extension 65 which when the block is in operative position lie. directly beneath the pivot pin 58. The face of the free end of the block 59 above the projection 53 is at substantially right angles to the projection 53 and has an abutment 66 adjacentthe top which cooperates with a part of the latch member and with the projection 63 in locking the set screw block in operative position. The latch member 67 is pivoted on the transverse pin 58 and has a forked extension. 68 which extends radially with respect to the pivot, a forward extension 69 and a rearwardly eX- tending handle 70. lThe forked radial extension 68 when the latch is in locking position extends in vertical alignment with the' pivot 58 and the legs thereof engage the projections 65 of the arm 63. At the same time the forward extension 69 engages the abutment 66 adjacent the top of the .block 60 and the handle 70 projects somewhat beyond thev opening 56 and is spaced above the cross-bar 45. In this position the set screw block 59 is rigidly locked against upward movement since pressure upon the screw 62 is transmitted directly through the vertical extension 68 of the. latch to the pivot pin 58. If the outer end of the handle 70 of the latch be pushed downwardly', the extension 68 will swing inwardly out of engagement with the extension 65 of the block and will straddle the shank portion 64 permitting the block 59 to swing upwardly and release the pressure bar An adjustable guide apron 71 is adjusta bly supported upon a cross-pin 72 beneath the wringer roller 49. The apron 71 slidably engages the pin 72 and has oppositely facing hooks 73 which engage with the pin 72 to hold the apron in adjusted position. At each end the apron 71 has a flat top portion 74 andean end portion 7 5 inclined with respect to the portion 74. lVhen in either of its adjusted' positions the apron 71 has one end portion 75 in a horizontal position immediately below one of the guide langes 48 and its opposite end projecting beyond the opposite guide flange and inclined downwardly to form the guide chute for the arti cles leaving the wringer.

Having described my invention. I claim;

1. In a wringer mechanism, the combination with a support having a cylindrical vertically disposed socket, of a wringer supi' porting standard rotatably supported in said socket', and 'a'vertically disposed drive shaft having a section carried by the fixed support and a section carried by the standard, said shaft sections having, one a substantially flat tongue and the other, a groove in the end thereof in which the tongue is adapted to fit whereby said standard together with the shaft section carried thereby can be bodily removed from the socket, Said groove having a flared outer portion to facilitate the insertion of the tongue therein.

2. In a wringer mechanism, the combination with a support having a vertically disposed cylindrical socket, of a vertically disposed wringer supporting standard, a wringer supporting arm projecting laterally from the standard, wringer driving mechanism including a member carried by the standard controlling the operation of the wringer, an actuating member movable from one position to another for shifting said controlling member from a position in which the wringer having mechanism is inoperative to a position in which the driving mechanism operates the wringer, said actuating member having a cam portion with spaced recesses, a spring pressed locking pin engageable with the recesses in the cam portion of said actuating member to hold the same in eitherof said two positions, said pin being shifted by said cam portion of the actuating member into locking engagement with the su port on movement of said actuating member to start the wringer. n.

3. In a wringer mechanism the combination with a, support having a vertically disposed cylindrical socket, and a horizontal supporting portion around the open top of the socket, said supporting portlon having a series of pin receiving sockets, of a hollow vertical standard having a lower cylindricall portion fitting in said socket and a portion bearing on the supporting portion at the top of the socket, a laterally projecting wringer supporting arm fixed to the standard, driving mechanism for the wringer including a reversing mechanism within the standard, said reversing mechanism including a controlling member shiftable in opposite directions from ancutral position in which the wringer is disconnected from the driving mechanism to cause the wringer to be driven in one direction or the other, an actuating member for said controller including a part journaled in the wall of the standard to turn about a horizontal axis, said part having a portion forming a cam with a ortion thereof fiattened and a portion thereo cylindrical, said cam portion having tapered pin receiving recesses in the flat portion and cylindrical portion thereof, and a vertically disposed pin slidably mounted on the standard, a spring engaging said pin to hold the same in engagement with the cam portion of the actuating lmember, said actuating member havin the flat portion thereof in engagement with the pin when the control ling member is in neutral position, the lower end of said pin being movable into one of thc pin receiving sockets in the support when said actuating member is turned to shift the controlling member in either direction from neutral position, said pin being engageable with the recesses in the cam portion of the actuating member to hold the same in neutral and shifted positions.

4. In a wringer mechanism, the combination with a support having a vertically disposed cylindrical socket, of a vertical standard having its lower end rotatable in the said socket and provided with a laterally extending wringer carrying arm, means for driving said wringer including a vertical shaft in said standard, a horizontal shaft on the arm and a reversing mechanism in the standard, said reversing mechanism including a clutch member slidable on the vertical shaft, an actuating member rotatable about a horizontal axis on the standard, said actuating member having an eccentric pin engaging the clutch member to shift the saine in either direction from neutral position, said actuating member having a cam portion with four shallow recesses upon its periphery spaced 90 apart, a spring pressed locking pin engaging said cam portion and engageable in said recesses to releasably hold the actuating member in adjusted position, two diametrically opposite recesses being so positioned that the locking pin holds the clutch member in neutral position the other two recesses being positioned to hold the clutch member in position to drive the wringer in forward and reverse directions, one of the first mentioned pair of diametrically opposite recesses being in a flat portion of the cam, means on the support with which said locking pin engages to lock the standard against rotation, said locking pin being enga ed with the Support at all times except w en enga ed by the flattened portion of the cam w ereby the clutch cannot `be shifted to operate the wringer without locking the standard to the support and said wringer may be driven in either direction or stopped without releasing said standard.

5. In a wringer mechanism, a support, a supporting standard rotatably mounted on said support, a wringer carried by said standard, means includin ing element for releasa ly locking said standard against turning movement on said support, wringer driving means having a movable controlling member by which the wringer may be started and stopped, and a manually operable lever having means for a movable lockmoving said controlling member to start and stop the wrnger, said lever having a part engageable with the locking element for ctuating the same to lock the standard to the support simultaneously with the starting of the Wringer and a part engageable with the locking element after the standard is locked to hold said locking element in locking position while the lever is actuated to move said controlling member to start 10 or stop the Wrnger.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax my signature.

HARRY W. MITCHELL. 

